The No. 8 seed Creighton Bluejays will take on the No. 9 seed Kansas State Wildcats this week in the First Round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The two teams are part of the South region, playing in the same bracket as overall No. 1 seed Virginia.

Preview: Creighton, this season, finished with a 21-11 mark and a 10-8 record in the Big East. Kansas State, meanwhile, finished with a 22-11 record and a 10-8 record in the Big 12. The Bluejays were bounced by Providence in the Big East Tournament. Kansas State, meanwhile, was dispatched by Kansas.

Creighton is led by senior guard Marcus Foster, who averages 20.3 points per game. Kansas State is led by junior forward Dean Wade, who was injured in his team’s game against Kansas.

Creighton is a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. #Jays will play No. 9 seed Kansas State on Friday. Then, if they win, it's likely No. 1 overall Virginia

This is Creighton’s 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State, meanwhile, has 30 appearances in the Big Dance.

Neither team is considered a national title favorite – especially since they’ve now been slotted in the same region as overall favorite Virginia.

Prediction: We’ll take Creighton. Wade is expected to play, but he’s coming off of a foot injury that kept him out of a big matchup against Kansas. These 8-9 games are impossible to predict, so that’s as good a reason as any to pick the Bluejays.